St. Patrick's Island Fun Run Race Recap

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to meet up with a bunch of my girlfriends to run in the inaugural St. Patrick's Island 4k Fun Run! I was lucky enough to win an entry for the race from Ange, but either way, I would have ended up signing up for this race as it sounded like a lot of fun!

This run took place in the East Village of Calgary, an area I have yet to explore. The East Village has been undergoing some major changes and redevelopment lately, in efforts to turn it into an Urban Village. St. Patrick's Island was revitalized in 2015, and is accessible from the East Village by a short walk over the George C. King Bridge. The island consists of 31 acres and hosts playgrounds, running and biking paths, picnic areas, a spot to wade in the water, as well as a "Rise", which offers a great view of the city. It's absolutely beautiful down there and I will definitely be returning to explore more!

The logistics of getting to the race though, left much to be desired. Unfortunately, there was minimal information on the race website about transportation to the run and parking. It was recommended that people utilize the C-Train, as the stop at Bridgeland is just a short walk away from the race's starting line.  I had no idea what the parking situation would be like down at the race (I assumed there would be none, and if there was, it would be full or outrageously expensive), and since Becky and Liam were travelling down with us, I suggested we take the train.

Of course, the train was a big hit with the two young boys, but when we got off the train, the overpass over the freeway to access St. Patrick's Island was closed! Cue massive frustration on our end. We ended up having to backtrack on foot along the freeway until we came to spot where we could actually cross over. In all, it took us an extra 30 minutes to get to the race start. Not fun in almost 30 degree weather and when one of you is piggy-backing your kid.

Once we made it to the race start, we met up with the rest of the girls and pinned our bibs on our shirts. Race package pickup wasn't convenient at all unless you lived downtown and didn't work regular hours, so thank you to Leigh for picking our packages up for us! The race start was at 11 which was nice, since it can be tough to rush out the door in the morning with toddlers! Jim ended up taking both Sully and Liam to the playground on the island while we ran.

The race started on the bridge, which was silly, since we immediately turned right onto the path once we crossed the start line. The first half of the race was an out and back portion along the river, and then we crossed over the George C. King Bridge and ran into the park. The finish was right at the Rise. This event is untimed, so Becky, Ange and I fell into a comfortable pace together and chatted while we ran.

I really didn't feel like running at all the day leading up to the race, but I ended up running the whole thing and was glad I did! I remember why I like running with my friends so much! It makes the experience so much more fun!

At the finish line, every racer was awarded with a lei and a popsicle stick with a number on it which was meant to represent your finishing place since the race was untimed. We figured we ran it in just under 30 minutes though. After grabbing some water (which they actually ran out of!) and a banana, we started lining up at the food truck for our free hoagie from Jane Bond BBQ! The food was delicious, but it took about 30-40 minutes to get it. Not cool, especially when there was no shade to stand in. My biggest suggestion about the food truck would be, don't offer so many options! When food is free, offer a meat option and a veggie option and be done with it.

Our group enjoyed our food while sitting in the shade and chatting, before we started the long journey home. I was exhausted from the heat and ready to get home to relax. That's the only downfall of a later start time in the summer - you end up running when the sun is hottest and you lose most of your day.

{Leslie//Ange//Becky//Me//Kaella//June//Leigh}

Overall though, I had a great time, and I will definitely do this race again next year! 4k is a great distance when you want to run and chat with your friends.

Local peeps - this race is a great one for the whole family! There were tons of kids walking/running it and people pushing strollers. Mark your calendars for next year!

The Books I've Been Reading {9}

I had a great month, reading wise, in April! I read 6 books, which is a lot for me. I owe it all to a couple audiobooks which really lets me maximize my time spent reading. I stuck to all fiction this past month (not on purpose though), with two of them being YA. My biggest flop was the novella by Tim Lebbon, but at least I didn't invest too much time into it.

Anyway, let's talk about the books!

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han: This book was just a little bit too "sweet" for me. Almost read as more middle-grade than YA. I had high hopes for this one as I LOVED Han's Summer series, but this one didn't hit me with all the feels like those ones did. This one is the story of Lara Jean, middle sister of 3 girls, and what happens when her love letters (that were never meant to be read by anyone else but her), somehow find their way into the hands of the boys she wrote them about. When her next door neighbour Josh, her best friend, crush and also her older sister's ex-boyfriend receives his letter, Lara Jean tries to convince him that she is no longer in love with him, by entering into a pretend relationship with Peter, another recipient of her letters, who wants to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. What enfolds is a cute story, but the unresolved ending was a bit annoying. I'll probably still read the second book in the series just to see where things go. I listened to this on audio and it was a great listening experience though!

Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom: I've talked about this book a few times already, and its counterpart, The Kitchen House, but I'll say it again - I loved this book. I wrote a full review HERE, but basically, it's the story of Jamie Pyke, son of the master of Tall Oaks Plantation, and a black slave,  and what happens after he flees the plantation. Living as a white man, Jamie is forever worried that his true identity will be discovered, so when a turn of events leads him back to the South, to find a stolen slave, Jamie must face all his fears in order to rescue the boy. An intense read and I was hooked from the beginning!

The Thief of Broken Toys by Tim Lebbon: This novella has been sitting on my bookshelf for years so I finally decided to squeeze it in between some longer reads. I didn't dig it. Sometimes I'm not sure if I just miss the point or I just don't "get it" when I read a novella or short stories, but ya, this one didn't do it for me. It's a strange little book, with a weird twist at the end, but essentially it's about a man, estranged from his wife after his son died a year ago. Unable to move on with his life, he decides to start fixing all his son's broken toys that he never got around to doing when his son was still alive. In this process, he meets a mysterious man in the woods, a man who miraculously fixes even the most broken of toys. But his "charity" doesn't come without a price. I posted a full review on my goodreads.

Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova: I read this book for the first book of my online book club (A Slice of Brie Book Club) and it was such a great book to discuss. So much food for thought. When our main character, Joe, is diagnosed with Huntington's disease, a deadly and hereditary disease, his 4 adult children must decide if they want to be tested for the gene. While it wasn't Genova's strongest book, writing wise, it was a great story and provided lots of insight into Huntington's disease and what a life with it would look like. Full review and discussion post HERE.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen: I listened to this on audio, and really enjoyed it. This is exactly what I expect from a great YA novel: great characters, enough depth over-all that you feel connected to the story, and not too much fluff, and no insta-love. The subject matter was serious, and it wasn't just a book about boys or young love. Our main character, Sydney, meets brother and sister, Mac and Layla, after switching high schools. Sydney's brother has committed a horrible crime and must pay for his misdoings, and all Sydney wants (and needs) is to be seen for who she is separate from her brother, and to find her own place in the world. Within her friendship with Layla and Mac, Sydney finds a comfort and belonging that she had been yearning for, for longer than she realizes. A great story about friendship, trust, relationships (of all kinds), and acceptance.

Irma Voth by Miriam Toews: I've read a few of Voth's other books and really liked them, but this one fell short for me. The first half was slow and boring, but it did pick up in the second half. It's about a 19 year old Mennonite girl (Irma), living with her family on a farm in Mexico. Irma falls in love with a Mexican boy and marries him, thereby being shunned from her family. Early in the book, Irma's husband leaves her, and fearful of their father and his temper, Irma and her younger sister take off to Mexico city in search of a better life. The story seemed unrealistic at times, but considering where it took place, I imagine anything is possible.


*affiliate links have been used


Read any good books lately? Worst book you read?

Have you read any of these books?

How do you feel about novellas or short stories? Love 'em, or leave 'em?


P.S.! It's not too late to join us for May's A Slice of Brie Book Club! Details in this post!


*Linking up with Steph and Jana for Show Us Your Books!

My Birthday Weekend Recap!

What a busy and fun weekend I had! So busy in fact, that I could just not muster the energy to finish up this post last night, instead opting for a 9p.m. bedtime. That's right, this night owl was fast asleep hours before midnight! And I'm so glad I did because I feel so much more rested this cool and blustery Monday morning.

Friday

Friday was my birthday! I love being surrounded by people on my birthday and Friday did not disappoint. Sully and I spent the day at home together, and then my aunt came over in the afternoon, and surprised me with these beautiful flowers from my mom! (Thanks, Mom!!)

She hung out with us for a few hours until Jim got home from work, and then we we were joined by Becky and Liam, and Ange for the night! Becky brought all the fixings for a delicious BBQ dinner, and Ange brought buns and dessert in the form of Jelly Modern Doughnuts (and gifted me a beautiful bracelet from Stella & Dot!)! Jim always talks about these certain "fancy" donuts from a place near his work, but has yet to actually bring one home for me, so I was so excited that Ange brought a whole bunch of different flavours for us to try! (I have a week spot for donuts if you couldn't tell). Once the two younger boys were in bed, we spent the rest of the evening chatting and drinking before heading to bed sometime after 11.

Saturday

Saturday, after a big breakfast, we all headed out to the East Village for the Inaugural St Patrick's Island 4k Fun Run. A bunch of my running buds were running it too, so it was great to meet up with everyone! Jim and Sully also tagged along to cheer us on. In efforts to keep this post short, I will recap the event in another post!

Saturday was a gorgeous day out! Too hot for a run in my opinion, but it was nice to actually be outside enjoying it. The East Village is an area of Calgary I have yet to explore, and it's gorgeous down there. The trails and parks around the river have recently been rebuilt and there's lots to do and explore. We will definitely be back to spend more time down there!

After taking the train home, Sully went straight upstairs for a nap, and Becky and I hung out for a bit longer before her and Liam took off back to Red Deer. While Sully was napping, Jim and I got on the first coat of paint in Sully's new bedroom. The rest of the evening was spent at home hanging out.

Sunday

I had another run on my schedule, so I was up and out the door just before 8a.m. My aunt had asked me to run the Mother's Day 5K Run with her so I caught the bus to the train, and met up with them at Chinook mall at 8:30a.m. We ran the whole race together which was really nice to do! Her husband ran the 10k and killed it. It was a great morning, even if my cheer squad wasn't there. I'll probably recap this run in another post too!

After the race, I headed into the mall and picked up some summer clothes for Sully, before heading back to the train station. When I got off the train, I realized that the bus to take me home wasn't due for almost 20 minutes so I said screw it, and decided to walk the 3km home. It was such a beautiful day for it and it was great to stretch my legs and get in some more steps! (Overall, I walked/ran almost 15km on Sunday!).

When I finally arrived home, Sully was still napping, so I showered and got ready to go out for an early Mother's Day dinner. Jim asked me what I wanted and I said Pho, so we found a place that was open on Sunday's, not too far from our house. The service was great and Sully had a blast slurping up the noodles. The Pho wasn't the best I've had, but it wasn't bad either.

We came home, had some more birthday cake, and Jim tried to give me the card he helped Sully make for me. All I wanted for Mother's Day was a homemade card and I couldn't believe what a good job my boys did! Sully is currently going through the stage where one learns about possession, and everything is "mine", "Mommy's" or "Daddy's", so he didn't actually want me to hold or have the card, haha!

We then spent the evening hanging out in our bed, watching TV, reading books and Skyping with Jim's parents. At 9p.m., I told Jim I was done for the day and needed to get to sleep. Sometimes I hate going to bed on Sundays, because it's admitting that the weekend is finally over, but after such an awesome weekend, full of good company, good food and tons of activity, I went to sleep with a full and grateful heart.

Thanks again to all my friends and family for all the phone calls, texts and messages wishing me a happy birthday, and thanks to everyone who made my birthday and birthday weekend that much more special! Love you all! xoxo